New Year's Luck
by konamiXkatya23
Summary: It's almost the New Year! Lucy buys a mysterious black key from an old traveler. Suddenly, everything goes wrong. The key seems to be delivering misfortune to Lucy. Will the girl make it out of the situation or will she be cursed with bad luck forever?
1. Chapter 1

konamiXkatya23: Hey! I'm back! I was planning on writing a different story, but then the holiday cheer kinda got to me, so I decided to make a holiday special!

Natsu: Alright!

Lucy: Calm down you idiot! Let's read the story! Did you hear me? Read! Not burn!

Natsu: Yes, Lucy-sama.

Lucy: What the…?

Happy: Aye. Disclaimer?

konamiXkatya23: Right! Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of it's characters, I only own my story. Please enjoy and don't forget to review!

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><p><strong>Chapter one<strong>

**Charcoal key**

The girl opened her brown eyes. They quickly adjusted to the light, their chocolaty color looking even richer. She quickly jolted herself upright and carefully walked to the shower. For some reason, she couldn't find her rosy haired friend and his blue cat anywhere. Usually he just came to her apartment unannounced, and crashed the night in it. Her rent kept on getting higher because of Natsu and all of his repair fees. Why couldn't he sleep in his own house?

Lucy signed as she got out of the shower. She didn't mind it though; the boy was fun to have around. He was the one who changed her life; she couldn't imagine what would have happened without him. "Oh well..." she muttered as she put on her clothes.

It was winter in Fiore, but it wouldn't mean that it would snow. Dark clouds passed very often, and the town of Mongolia found itself constantly drenched by heavy showers. The clouds were already gathering as Lucy started reading her book. It was sunny just an hour ago.

The girl giggled as she finished the last page of the comical book her blue haired friend gave her. Levy always gave the right books to Lucy, and of coarse she was always the first to read and criticize Lucy's new stories. Natsu was always eager to see Lucy's books but for some reason Lucy always had to hide them from the boy's flaming grasp. The blonde smiled as she thought about Natsu.

Something suddenly crashed through her window. Lucy ran out into her bedroom, afraid to see what it is. Natsu already sat on her bed, with a serious face. "Eh? Back already?" Lucy complained.

"No…" he answered. "What the hell Luc? You left me on the train with a note, saying that you won't go? I'd be dead by now if it wasn't for Happy!"

"Aye" added the blue cat.

"So you didn't go?" Lucy asked.

"No!" Natsu yelled and looked away. "Last time I checked we were a team."

"Aye" Happy added.

"I don't want to go back to that creepy mountain! Plus, I'll be really cold! I don't have any winter clothes…" Lucy said.

"Lucy Fire*" Natsu mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, lets call the mission off. We'll continue it in the new year." The dark eyed boy chucked his bags at Lucy and crawled under the covers. Happy cautiously eyed Lucy.

"Ok, fine, I get it" Lucy responded. "Let's do the mission tomorrow. I still have to pay for rent."

Natsu quickly jumped up. "Alright! I'm getting all fired up!" he yelled.

"Don't burn my house!" she screamed and threw Natsu back out of the window.

She rolled her eyes as she walked out of her room. Lucy quickly drank a glass of milk and decided to get to her meeting place bit earlier. The girl slipped on her jacket and rain boots and headed out for the market.

Yesterday the two have planned to go shopping together. Lucy loved shopping for new clothes while keeping an eye out for magical items. Any rare stellar keys were always a great addition to her collection. Levy on the other hand mostly looked for books and possibly old scrolls. Some members of Fairy Tail found her boring, but she was a nakama*, and she was a powerful and kindhearted mage.

The rain started drizzling as Lucy made her way through the crowds of people. Tons of mages and regular villagers were out on the streets, decorating shops, buying presents, and preparing for the celebration. There was a holiday feeling in the atmosphere. Two young girls were looking at expensive yakatas. A small boy, possibly Romeo stumbled down the street, carrying three wrapped boxes. His weak hands trembled, but you could clearly see that he didn't want any help.

There was a small café overlooking the market. Levy sat next to an open window with a cup of tea. She has stayed up late last night reading. The blue haired mage would hate to be late, so she got up early and decided to wake herself up with a cup of earl grey tea. She sat very still, blinking now and then, lost in her thoughts about the novel she was reading.

Suddenly she saw Lucy speed walking towards the market. She called out the blonde's name, and Lucy quickly spotted her friend.

"Hey Levy," she said. Water dripped down her hair, the small drizzle turned into a downpour.

"Great morning, huh?" Levy commented.

"It'll clear up", Lucy sat smiling.

"So, what are you going to buy?" Levy asked.

"I was going to buy Erza some sweets, maybe a shirt for Grey…" her voice trailed off sarcastically.

Levy laughed. Buying a shirt for grey was like trying to eat soup with a fork. "What about Natsu?" she asked, keeping her tone serious.

Lucy suddenly blushed and turned away. Levy was the first to find out about her Lucy's crush while the others still had no clue. "I d-don't know," she hiccupped.

Levy whistled loudly. "Hey!" Lucy complained, and bopped her friend on the head.

"Weren't we going somewhere?" Levy asked while pointing to the marketplace. The sky quickly cleared up. Only small puddles on the pavement reminded the people of the heavy rain. The sun reflected off the clean buildings.

The two girls quickly walked towards the marketplace. Today, the place was filled with merchants, traders and scavengers, trying to sell their useless discoveries. Levy and Lucy first stopped at a merchant who sold sweets. Silver candy wrappers shone under the dark lids of the containers. There was almost everything, from ice cream to cotton candy, from chocolate to sea-salt taffy. Lucy picked out a couple of chocolates for herself, and then decided on what to buy for Erza. The red haired mage was a huge fan of cake, so Lucy picked out a gift box with fruit tarts.

Meanwhile, Levy stared at the sea-salt taffy. The blue wrappers looked very nice, but she couldn't even see the candy underneath. What does sea-salt taffy taste like? Is it really salty? Or is it even sea-salt? The old merchant saw the blue haired girl staring in wonder, and after giving Lucy her purchases, he opened the jar and gave each of the girls a sea-salt taffy. Levy thanked the kind man and put the taffy in her mouth.

"Salty…but sweet…" she said in amazement. "I'll take ten of those!"

**~Later~**

Lucy walked off towards the east wing of the market. She has already bought a present for Erza, Juvia, Grey and Levy, but she couldn't find anything for Natsu. She aimlessly walked around the marketplace, trying to find something that would catch her eye. Levy has left a few minutes ago; she said something about an arrival of a book in a local bookstore…

Lucy noticed that the wagons of the traders were getting more and more run down. Each one was just a bit filthier than the one before, each owner more and more ragged. At last, an old man sat with on his small cart, his goods lied out on a large piece of cloth. The blonde quickly scanned through the items. Pens, a couple of handmade bracelets, an empty perfume bottle, a plate- all of these things lay on the merchant's cloth. Suddenly, she saw something. There was a tiny glint from it, but something small was blending in with the dark cloth. A black stellar key was on display on the dark carpet.

Lucy's eyes shone with joy. What kind of stellar key was this? She has never seen anything like it! It was pretty ancient-looking for a stellar key. The blond wondered where the old traveler found this key.

"Whoa!" Lucy squealed in joy as she saw the price. Only 1000 jewels? Was she dreaming?

The old traveler looked at the young girl as she spotted the black key. "You want to buy it?" he asked. The young girl stared back at him with brilliant eyes. "It's 1000 jewels", he continued. "I ain't giving it to you for no money."

"Why does it cost so little?" Lucy asked, ignoring the stinginess of the old man. The traveler inhaled and replied, "don't want it, don't buy it."

"Ok, I'll take it", she remarked. "There's no such thing as a bad stellar spirit. Here", she handed the grumpy man 1000 jewels, and quickly walked off with her purchase. For a second, Erza's scarlet hair was visible up ahead, and the blond girl decided to catch up to her knightly friend. She ran through the crowded marketplace, carefully making her way through the crowds. Suddenly, two men carrying a load of peaches appeared out of nowhere. Lucy didn't have time to stop and the young girl crashed into the two men.

The peaches fell on the ground, some of them getting bruised; some of them got splattered all over the muddy ground. Lucy lay covered in peach. "Ah…" was all she could say. "I'm so sorry!" she apologized.

"You'll have to pay for those", said the older man while getting back up on his feet.

"I know, I'm sorry", Lucy bowed and reached for her wallet. She pulled out all of her remaining money and handed it to the man.

"Hey! This isn't enough!" the man complained, only to notice that the blond girl was already gone.

**~Later~**

Lucy slowly jogged towards her house. Dark clouds gathered overhead, she had to make it back home before it rains. As her house came into view she slowed down, and decided to walk on the boardwalk near the river. She casually strutted on the narrow brick path.

"Lucy-chan! Be careful!" one of the passing boaters called out.

Lucy turned around with a smile to reply, but suddenly, her foot slipped off the wet rock. For a second, the girl's body froze, her mouth gaped open. She couldn't find any support. The water first engulfed her foot, then her whole body.

The blond fell into her water, along with her purchased gifts.

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><p>konamiXkatya23: Ok, I know the first chapter was probably really boring, but it'll get better!<p>

Happy: Aye.

Natsu: I'm looking forward to it! I'm burning with passion!

Lucy: Idiot!

Please review! It's very important to the writer to know what you think! konamiXkatya23 would appreciate it!


	2. Chapter 2

konamiXkatya23: Hola everyone!

Lucy: Hey! You updated quicker than usual.

konamiXkatya23: That's what I have German class for! :D

Lucy: Oh my...

konamiXkatya23: Yes... But, anyway, I'm gonna do the disclaimer. Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of it's characters, I only own my story.

This chapter is kinda slow, you could say. But I'm really down because I got only one review... Please enjoy and **don't forget to review**!

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><p><strong>Chapter two<br>All things wrong  
><strong>  
>Lucy stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was undone and frayed in clumps on her hair. Her mascara was running down her cheeks. She was completely soaked; all of her clothes were dripping with mucky water. Her presents, which she got for her friends were now ruined. The frilly gift bags were starting to tear.<p>

Tears slowly rolled down Lucy's cheeks. Her feet crumpled and she fell on the floor. The girl lay on the ground, tears streaming down her face. It felt like countless hours passed... She finally gathered her strength and walked towards the shower while shaking uncontrollably. Lucy wasn't even sure if she shook from the pain, she was probably shivering from being in her wet clothes for too long.

After the bath filled up, she quickly stripped and got into the warm water. Somehow, the steaming liquids brought all of her emotions back. She cried again, and for some reason was unable to stop the tears. Secretly, the girl hoped that Natsu would be there when she comes out. The dragon slayer always cheers her up, there's always a positive aura around him.

The girl got out and put on her robe. To her surprise, the red haired boy wasn't loitering in her living room. She felt better after taking a bath, and bend down to pick up all of her ruined gifts. The book she bought for Levy looked alright, but as soon as she opened it, half of the pages tumbled out. Yes, tumbled. They were all stuck together, forming a wet glob of papery slime. Lucy signed. Crying wouldn't help her anymore.

The young mage could clearly see that Erza's fruit tarts were also ruined. She took the box along with the book and threw it in the trash. At least some of the things she bought could dry off...

She walked towards her bed, not feeling like doing anything. Suddenly, the girl stepped onto something hard. She cursed out loud, and while hopping on one foot, the blonde noticed that the sharp object was her newly bought stellar key. She carefully picked it up, almost afraid that it would fall apart. It didn't look like it was damaged.

"Phew, if that was Aquarius, she would have killed me!" Lucy exhaled, while picking up the key.  
>The key was very beautiful; it looked very ancient as well... She didn't notice it before, but it glittered in the sunlight. The key was very mysterious, but it was clearly a stellar key. What was more of a mystery was its price... Maybe it was broken?<p>

Lucy lifted up her arm and twisted the key in midair. "I summon thee!" she shouted as a figure appeared in front of her. Small clouds of dust (or steam) slowly pulled away from the small body.

"A cat?" Lucy asked rhetorically. The stellar spirit that appeared in front of her was a small black cat. Although the animal was clearly a spirit, its fur gave a brilliant shine, but it was just a cat...?

"Umm... Hello?" Lucy asked the cat. The dark creature looked back at her in wonder.  
>Lucy slammed her head against the wall. "What the hell is this? Alright it's a cat! But I was trying to talk to it! Have I officially gone insane? I hope nobody saw that!"<p>

The cat tilted its head to the side. "Meow?"

Lucy facepalmed herself. "What a waste!" she thought, "but maybe, this cat has some kind of hidden ability!" The girl glanced back at the cat, her eyes full of hope.

"Meow."

"Ok calm down, calm down... I'm sure this will come in handy... I guess Happy would like this..." her voice trailed off.

Somehow, the cat did behave maturely, but aside from that, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Lucy tried to talk to the cat for a couple of minutes, but after coming to a conclusion (not to be mistaken for a crazy person) she made the cat summon itself back into the stellar realm.

Soon enough, after finishing cleaning everything up (with the help of Virgo) she put her favorite blue skirt and white shirt on, brushed her messy hair, and tied a small strand of it up in a pony tail on the side of her head. Then she put her raincoat on and head out. She joyfully jumped down the stairs. All feelings of despair have been washed away by the rain, and as the sun shone on the blond girl, she made her way towards the center of Mongolia. Soon her destination came into view. The huge building of Fairy Tail shone in the sunlight.

**~Later~**  
>Lucy slammed the door as she came into the guild. Mirajane was serving the tables as Lucy came in.<p>

"Ah, Lucy-chan! Good morning!" the silver haired woman called out.

"Hey Lucy!" greeted some of the members of the guild.

Lucy smiled. She was right; coming here did cheer her up. But the place seemed very deserted; most of the members were away. They were all away because of Mongolia's lousy weather, or they might be visiting relatives. And even Natsu wasn't here! What is he doing? She just saw him this morning...

Lucy sat down at the bar table. Mira offered Lucy a cocktail, which accepted, and slowly started drinking the sweet, pineapple flavored drink. She decided to rest her head on the bar, the noise of the guild putting her to sleep.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Natsu came in. It was pouring outside, but Natsu, the human fire, dried in under a minute. Happy saw the blond girl and flew towards her.

Lucy opened her eyed at the noise. She has woken up from her reverie because of a slamming door, and the roll of thunder outside. As soon as her vision cleared, Lucy saw that the winged cat was already in her face. She gasped from surprise, and sat up too quickly. The young mage didn't notice her half-full glass, still standing by her head.  
>The piña colada plummeted to the ground. The glass quickly broke and the creamy drink spilled all over the floor. Lucy growled and stood up, to get Mira, who was already coming over.<p>

"I'm sorry Mira-san..." she apologized.

"Don't worry Lucy." Mira smiled. "Happens all the time. You know what I mean." Lucy smiled. Then she turned around and glared at the blue cat.

"What?" Lucy yelled. Happy moved his foot back and forth and kept his eyes down.

"Are you a girl in love or something?" Lucy complained. Happy smiled as he saw Lucy's mood brighten. He pointed over to Natsu, who was already at the request board.

Lucy walked over to Natsu. "Not too great, huh?" Lucy asked the pink haired boy. They both stared at the almost empty board. There were only a few requests left, most of them boring or taking place too far away.

"Take care of pet... Help weed plantation... Oh! Hey!" he exclaimed with a grin on his face. He pointed to a request.

"Oh!" the girl jumped. "Those are the mountains that we went to for our first mission! What's the mission?"

"Guide a famous celebrity across the mountains... His name... Shizuki Alla?"

"Are you kidding me, you idiot? That's a girl's name!" Lucy mumbled as she tore the request off the board. "I promised that I would go on a mission with you! So, how about it? Although... That place doesn't really bring back any good memories..." she turned around awkwardly.

"Ok, let's go!" Natsu yelled, completely ignoring his friend's paranoia.

**~Later~**  
>The carriage rocked from side to side.<br>Lucy looked at her nauseous friend. He wasn't as sick as he usually was, but his face still looked pretty green. Happy stood by the rosy haired boy, waving a piece of paper in his face.

Lucy looked out the window. As they got closer to the mountains, light snow started falling. The clouds weren't very dark, but it was clear that it was still snowing at the peak.

But this time, Lucy came prepared. She brought warm gloves and a pair of warm shoes. A coat was also laying on her lap, as well as some earmuffs. "I won't make the same mistake twice!" Lucy thought. "Hey, Natsu! Look! I think were close!" she exclaimed.

"Aye", Happy commented.

Natsu tried to make something out in the snow storm. For a second, he thought he saw a small black line that looked like it was moving. But then the nausea returned, and he had to lie back down.

Lucy looked out the window in wonder. This looked like a fun mission! And she gets to meet a celebrity! Her grin widened, all of her troubles were now forgotten.

There was something hiding in the snow. As it spotted the carriage, it ran away. It hid behind a boulder; his sharp eyes followed the carriage as it arrived at the caravan. It gave a madman's laugh and disappeared from sight.

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><p>Lucy: Noooooo! I don't like deja vu's! I don't like the Balkan! That thing is nasty!<p>

Happy: Aye, I remeber that.

konamiXkatya23: Don't worry I-

Natsu: You made me ride something again! I'm never riding a carriage ever again!

konamiXkatya23: Ok, I promise. No more transportation.

Natsu: Thanks.

konamiXkatya23: *cough* except for when you're on your way home *cough*

Natsu: Did you say something?

konamiXkatya23: Nope(:

Anyway, I hope that you all liked my chapter, and I would like to give a big shoutout to **ChibikiLove**, **Chiharu Himeji**, **Crystilia**, **soffe-chann**, and **evergreen dryad**. Thanks for liking my story!

**Don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

konamiXkatya23: Ok, after being a lazy bum for two weeks, I've returned!

Natsu: Woo-hoo! I'm burning up!

Lucy: Gyaaaah! He meant to say MERRY CHRISTMAS!

konamiXkatya23: Yes, and I took so long to update because I had finals and all sorts of tests. I really wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. I totally understand how great it feels to take that weight (finals) off your shoulder.

Happy: Aye!

Lucy: Ok, you deserve your rest. I'll do the disclaimer! konamiXkatya23 doesn't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. She only owns her story. Enjoy and **please review**! It would be a wonderful present for konamiXkatya23!

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><p><strong>Chapter three<strong>

**Mission Impossible  
><strong>  
>Lucy stared out at her shivering hands. They were cracked from the frost and covered in blood. Natsu lay beside her, completely unconscious. Tears of anguish rolled down the girl's face. The giant monster in front of her grinned.<p>

**~Earlier~  
><strong>

They've been traveling for days and the western forest of Sölem was nowhere to be found. The lifeless mountains stretched on, their rocky peaks invisible in the snowstorm.

It was either morning or early afternoon when they got attacked. A group of ragged men came running down the slope. Fighting off mere robbers was no big deal, especially with the elite bodyguard team. The bodyguards were the only protection to the VIP before they hired the mages of Fairy Tail.

After the first wave of bandits, something huge came running down the hill. It didn't seem to notice the soldiers, it charged at the young mages right away.

It was like deja vu, only now, the huge monster, who suddenly appeared, grabbed Natsu to lure Lucy out. She came after it, unsuspecting what lies ahead of her.

The rosy haired boy was struggling and burning the monster, yet it didn't seem to care. It's powerful run put quite a distance between him and the blond girl.

Soon, they came to a stop, and Lucy got a good look at Natsu's kidnapper. Although it slightly resembled the Balkan, there was a huge difference between the two. The monster looked more like a white pelted tiger rather than a monkey. It bore its gleaming white fangs at the blond mage.

Lucy staggered backwards. She could almost feel the creature's strength. It was definitely something evil and horrible. The girl noticed Natsu, who was still trying to escape from the creature's grip.

Crack. Lucy gasped. The loud sound came from the huge fist the monster held Natsu in. The rosy haired boy stared at Lucy wide-eyed.

Only then, he coughed out blood. His eyes rolled back into his head, and the boy's struggling stopped.  
>The white pelted creature glanced at the unconscious boy and threw him across the little clearing they were in.<p>

"Open! The gate to the bull! Taurus!" Lucy screamed. "Catch him!"  
>The bull, censing Lucy's serious mood, caught the boy in mid-air. He carefully placed him beside Lucy and charged at the monster.<p>

Lucy didn't have time to blink. Taurus's form was split in two, and he disappeared with a small 'poof'. Lucy soon summoned Loki.

"We're in trouble", the stellar spirit grunted. He skillfully charged at the white pelted creature. The monster seemed to be very intelligent; it understood the situation and quickly adapted itself to Loki's way of fighting. Soon, Lucy's strongest stellar spirit disappeared from her sight. She gasped for air as the creature charged at her, and using her whip, she dogged the attack, managing to get Natsu out of the way as well.

The blond girl was trying to find a way to summon Aquarius, when the creature's attack knocked her off her feet. She was near the edge of the small clearing, surrounded by a large drop. Her keys fell out of her hand, but she caught them before they could plummet to the bottom. It took a second for Lucy to notice that she caught her keys by the black key which she just bought. Suddenly, it felt very slippery in her hand and it slipped out of her grip. For a second she desperately grasped at the air, trying to catch her stellar keys, yet it was pointless. The blond mage froze as she watched her keys fall.

"He has to have some weakness! Come on! Think!" Lucy told herself as she continued to fight with the monster.

**~End Flashback~**

There was nothing. She's tried every tactic. They've all failed. He was invincible. He didn't use any special type of magic, but the blond girl was sure that his power was in his strength and speed. She tried to get back up, but failed. Her ankle was broken, or possibly dislocated.

This creature was at Erza's level of strength. There was no way that Lucy could stop him. At least she'll die a noble death.

The blond girl pictured Fairy Tail. She'd miss it so much. Faces of her friends flashed by; Natsu, Grey, Levy, Erza, Juvia, Mirajane, and many others. But Lucy read about this in a book. At moments of loss, the protagonist remembers his friends and gets back up. There wasn't any hope for her though. She lost.

The white pelted monster seemed to mumble something under his breath, and charged once again at the devastated girl. Lucy braced herself for the impact; sorry that she couldn't protect Natsu.

Suddenly, when the creature's footsteps were very close, Lucy felt something drag her up. As soon as she felt herself airborne, she opened her teary eyes. Her numb feet were five yards above the ground. A blue figure held her tightly.

"Happy!" she shouted.

"Aye", the blue cat replied while pointing to the ground.

At first, the blond girl couldn't see anything, except for the monster who was trying to attack the floating girl. Then she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Natsu stood tall behind the creature, his scarf blowing in the wind.

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><p>Lucy: Ouch. You like to torture your characters… especially me…<p>

konamiXkatya23: Well… *evil laugh*

Grey: Man, that was short.

konamiXkatya23: You're not even in this story! Get out of here!

Grey: Well it was.

konamiXkatya23: Yes, I know. The next chapter is going to be my last one, and it's going to be extra long with some action and romance (yay!). Now would you please get out?

Grey: Naw, you'd miss me.

konamiXkatya23: Grrrrrr…

Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you liked this short chapter! **Please review!** I'm really grateful to anyone who likes this story. I know my English isn't great, but I'm still trying!


	4. Chapter 4

New Year's Luck (chap. 4)

konamiXkatya23: Hey everyone! This is my first chapter which I'm posting in 2012!

Lucy: Sure. Happy New Year everyone!

Happy: Aye!

konamiXkatya23: Yes, I know... But I have some bad news.

Lucy: Huh? Why? What happened?

Natsu: I'll beat them up!

konamiXkatya23: No, nothing bad happened. It's just that this is the last chapter (since it is a New Year's oneshot)... I hope that you've all enjoyed my story, and I'm really thankful to anyone who liked my story so far! I'm just starting out, so I guess...

Lucy: Boo-hoo... That's a bummer... What are you going to work on after this? Another Fairy Tail fanfic?

konamiXkatya23: I'm not sure yet. I don't really know yet, so we'll wait and see.  
>Anyway, sorry for the long writer's block... I hope you enjoy this chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!<br>Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of it's characters! I only own my own story!

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><p><strong>Chapter four<strong>  
><strong>Fireworks<strong>

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaa!" Natsu shrieked as he sent the monster flying in the air. "I'm not that weak!" he continued. "I will protect my nakama*!"

Happy set Lucy on the ground while Natsu beat the monster to a pulp. Tears streamed down the girl's cheeks. Her state in which she was just a second ago; hopeless, calm and ready to die, has completely disappeared. She collapsed on the ground.

All of her emotions came back to her. She was worn out and bleeding, but she didn't care about her injuries. The girl looked up, her fearful eyes overflowed with tears.

Fear. It's not a bad thing. Without it, everything would fall apart. Everyone is afraid of _something_.

Now Lucy understood. She wasn't ready to die. She was scared for Natsu, scared for Happy. She wanted to see Fairy Tail again. She wanted to see Mirajane, Erza, Levy, Gray and Juvia... She didn't want to disappear!

"Natsu!" she screamed her friend's name.

"I know", he muttered.  
>"Hey you!" he addressed the monster. "You hurt Lucy! UNFORGIVABLE!" Natsu glared at the monster, his stare giving off a killer aura.<p>

"Fire dragon's iron fist!" he yelled as he ran up and finished the creature off in one blow. The dragon slayer turned around and gazed at Lucy.

The girl's legs crumbled and the rosy haired boy laughed in relief.

"You idiot", he mumbled. "You should have called sooner. I've got your back."

"I'm sorry..." she answered. Happy landed beside Lucy. He carefully hugged her, wondering if she'd be mad. To his surprise, the blond girl didn't send him flying. He comforted Lucy as the sun came out and shone brightly.

The snow glittered like millions of diamonds, all of them scattered all over the mountain. Natsu stood in the center of the open, staring at the blue sky.

Lucy's cries echoed down the valley while tears of joy streamed down her face.

**Part 2**

Lucy sat at the bar as Mirajane looked at her, her eyes full of concern.

The girl couldn't get the past week off her mind. Her depression continued, much to the dislike of her friends. Even Makarov was troubled.

It was New Year's Eve. Many members of Fairy Tail returned, and even Wendy ran by now and then, preparing for the celebrations. Natsu stood with a frown by the door and bore his teeth at Gray. The ice mage, for some reason, completely ignored Natsu and helped Juvia with the decorations. Erza switched to 'kimono armor'. Her dark red kimono gave out a holiday atmosphere.

Lucy's mind was somewhere else. She was still thinking about their mission when she drifted off into reverie.

After they beat the monster up, they returned to the caravan. The bandits, who ambushed the caravan were already taken care of. They had to walk for another few hours until they reached the destination.

After being paid, the two got on a train (much to Natsu's dislike) and rode it back to Mongolia's neighboring town. Natsu and Lucy spent the night, and on the next day, returned home.

Lucy has been in a depression ever since. She did nothing during most of the days. Natsu tried visiting the girl, and after seeing how pale she has become, he had to take care of her for a few days. Most of the time, she kept quiet and didn't say a word.

"Earth to Lucy!" Natsu said while tapping on her shoulder.

The girl blinked and looked up. Her facial expression clearly stated: "leave me alone".

"Come with me to the roof!" he grinned. "They're going to launch the fireworks! That ice-headed moron doesn't know about that place!"

"Fine", Lucy muttered and got up. To her surprise Happy didn't come with Natsu. But then again, he was probably chasing after Charlie...

As the two climbed to the roof, Natsu suddenly jolted up and asked, "Lucy! You're not yourself these days! What's wrong?"

The town people and guild members were gathering outside, preparing the fireworks. Huge crowds swarmed in the streets, and it was as noisy as ever.

Lucy stared at Natsu. The girl looked down and shifted her weight. Then she began.

"I'm sorry, Natsu... I know that I'm annoying to have around. The mission we went on... I proved myself worthless one more time. I really thought I was going to die! Isn't that stupid? I couldn't even save my own sorry butt! You always save me! And I can't do anything in return!" tears streamed down her face. Lucy choked and hiccupped. "I didn't even get you a present! And it was just because I was so careless! I-I-I..." her voice was cut off.

Lucy felt a pair of warm lips on hers. Natsu leaned in. The kiss was long, but soft and sweet. Lucy held onto the rosy haired boy. Why did her heart beat faster? Why didn't she want to push him away? Why was her pain vanishing?

Natsu turned away. The blond girl could see that he was blushing, his face matching the color of his rosy hair.

Suddenly they heard a whistle and looked up. Fireworks, like midnight flowers, bloomed directly above them. Red, green, yellow, blue all exploded brilliantly in the sky. The dark streets of Mongolia lit up, cheers and whistles were heard from the crowd.

Soon, the amount of the fireworks seemed to double.

"The Grand Finale..." Lucy muttered.

The entire sky lit up. It was so loud, that it felt as if you put earplugs into your ears. Members of the guild added their magic to the Grand Finale, making it even bigger.

In an instant, everything was over. The crowd went wild, and for a few minutes, everyone just cheered. People fired confetti onto the street from the buildings. Mirajane called everyone inside for dinner and drinks.

Lucy kissed Natsu on the cheek. "Thank you", she said. "That was a really nice way to say 'shut-up'."

The rosy haired boy grinned. He blushed as he hugged Lucy back. "Don't you love the New Year? You can start all over again. Everyone gets a second chance.**" he whispered into Lucy's ear.

Happy flew up to the roof. "Hey guys! They're serving steak tonight, it's on the house..." his voice trailed off as he saw the two hugging each other. "Oh. Didn't mean to interrupt. Please go on." The eksheed guffawed and flew off.

"Pervert!" Lucy screamed as she punched Happy.

"So cold..." the blue cat muttered. As he saw the girls bright, chocolaty eyes he smiled. "Hey Lucy! You're back!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah..." the blond Mage answered as she put a hand near her lips. She noticed that Natsu was starting to climb down the roof.

"Are you coming? Or are you gonna sulk in the corner again?" he asked, extending his hand towards the girl.

"No way", she answered. "Let's not make them wait."

"Hell yeah!" the rosy haired boy yelled. He grabbed Lucy's hand and jumped down to the ground, towards the entrance of their guild.

**Part 3**

Lucy woke up. She was obviously hung over. Her head pounded, her chest hurt.

She was laying on top of Natsu, who was sleeping restlessly. Everyone was scattered all over the floor, confetti and other various things mixed in along with them.

_~Flashback~_  
>During the party, a man came through the entrance. He was a Sherpa who traveled a far way. When Makarov asked him what he wanted, the man held something up.<p>

Lucy came over to see who the visitor was. Suddenly, she noticed something. The dark-haired man held her keys! The ones she lost during her battle with the strange white-pelted creature.

"How?" she asked.

"I see black cat. I chase cat. Cat have keys. I check keys. Name... Lucy?" he pointed at the blond girl. A shiny tag dangled from the key ring.

"Ah! Thank you!" Lucy bowed. The blond girl looked at her keys. They were all in one piece. For some reason, she heard a light "meow". She looked at the black key and smiled.

"Thank you..." Lucy whispered.  
><em>~End Flashback~<em>

She grinned. The sun shone brightly through the windows. Its rays reflected off the empty liquor bottles. She could see some people starting to move around. Wendy was already up, she smiled and waved at Lucy. The blond girl mouthed a "good morning" back.

There was nothing that would make this morning better. It was a brand new day. It was a brand new year. She had her stellar spirits back. Lucy knew that she would get stronger, as strong as everyone else. She glanced at the rosy haired boy, sleeping beside her. Maybe she could be his girlfriend... This was the best morning ever!

Now if only her head stopped pounding...

**THE END**

* * *

><p>konamiXkatya23: Ok, if you do review, please tell me how many of you read the Sherpa's dialog with a weird accent voice! I was re-reading this, and I was like, "holy mother of god!"<p>

Lucy: Sorry to interrupt your nerdy rant...

Happy: Aye. Annoying.

konamiXkatya23: You know, I really should have killed you off in the story...

Happy: Impossible. I'm Natsu's nakama.

konamiXkatya23: You said that in a very cruel way...

Lucy: Don't upset, Konami! And don't make me mad, Happy!

Happy: Aye. Sorry Kona-chan.

konamiXkatya23: I'm ignoring this because?

Lucy: It's the last chapter.

konamiXkatya23: Yes, yes.  
>I'm really grateful to anyone who has read and supported this story! Especially I would like to thank evergreen dryad for reviewing my story! Thank you!<p>

First, I'd like to clear some things up:  
>*Nakama- it literally means friendcomrade. You see this a gazillion times in Fairy Tail.  
>**"Don't you love the New Year? You can start all over again. Everyone gets a second chance"- this is a quote from a movie called Forest Gump. Disclaimer: I don't own that movie either (sadly...).<p>

Anyway, I'm trying to decide (and get some inspiration) on what to write about next. I guess it would be Fairy Tail, Soul Eater or Bleach... Anyway, you can check my profile for any updates!

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this story! Please review!


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